# smoothbrains.net

> Consciousness research blog by Cube Flipper (@cube_flipper). Takes a phenomenology-first approach to consciousness, connecting wave computing, electromagnetic field theories, psychedelic phenomenology, and signal theory. Affiliated with the Qualia Research Institute.

All posts are available in original markdown by replacing the `.html` extension with `.md` (e.g. `/posts/2026-05-09-digital-consciousness.md`). These are lighter weight and more suitable for LLM consumption.

A thematic overview of the site's content is available in the [three-year retrospective](/posts/2025-10-18-three-year-retrospective.html).

## Phenomenology 1.1: Lehar's frameworks

Reviews of the phenomenological frameworks proposed by vision researcher Steven Lehar, used as a foundation for the rest of the blog.

- [An introduction to Steven Lehar, part I: Bubble worlds and force fields](/posts/2022-10-01-an-introduction-to-steven-lehar-part-i.html): Lehar's model of perceptual experience as a volumetric spatial representation
- [An introduction to Steven Lehar, part II: Symmetries and periodicities](/posts/2022-11-22-an-introduction-to-steven-lehar-part-ii.html): How symmetry and periodicity arise in Lehar's framework
- [An introduction to Steven Lehar, part III: Flame fronts and shock scaffolds](/posts/2023-01-18-an-introduction-to-steven-lehar-part-iii.html): Reaction-diffusion dynamics as a model of perceptual filling-in

## Phenomenology 1.2: Psychoactive drugs

Detailed reviews of the subjective effects of psychoactive substances, combining pharmacology with phenomenological analysis.

- [DMT with two eyes open, part I: Visual phenomena](/posts/2023-02-19-dmt-with-two-eyes-open-part-i.html): Systematic description of DMT visual phenomenology at various doses
- [The oral tesseract: Homuncular flexibility on DMT](/posts/2023-06-30-the-oral-tesseract.html): DMT's effects on body representation and homuncular geometry
- [Ketamine: WD-40 for the Bayesian brain](/posts/2023-08-01-ketamine.html): Ketamine phenomenology through a predictive processing lens
- [5-MeO-DMT: A crash course in phenomenal field topology](/posts/2024-03-01-5-meo-dmt.html): How 5-MeO-DMT reveals the topological structure of the phenomenal field
- [Xenon and nitrous oxide: Noble and ignoble anaesthetics](/posts/2025-04-29-xenon-and-nitrous-oxide.html): Comparative phenomenology of anaesthetic gases
- [Estrogen: A trip report](/posts/2025-06-15-estrogen.html): Phenomenological effects of hormone replacement therapy

## Phenomenology 2.1: The spatial domain

Models of low-level subjective phenomena, referencing work by Mike Johnson, Andrés Gómez Emilsson, Mark Lippmann, and others.

- [The state of play in symmetry](/posts/2023-02-18-the-state-of-play-in-symmetry.html): What "symmetry" means in the context of qualia
- [Attention and awareness: A two-stroke model of consciousness](/posts/2023-10-28-attention-and-awareness.html): A model distinguishing attention and awareness as complementary processes
- [What is a bodymind knot?](/posts/2024-05-29-what-is-a-bodymind-knot.html): Exploring the concept of embodied tension patterns in phenomenal space
- [An informal review of anthropic qualia states](/posts/2024-06-18-an-informal-review-of-anthropic-qualia-states.html): Review of observer-selection effects in qualia space, from the Tucson consciousness conference
- [Path integrals and orbifolds: What is it like to be a cube?](/posts/2025-06-01-path-integrals-and-orbifolds.html): Applying path integrals and orbifold geometry to the reality mapping problem

## Phenomenology 2.2: The frequency domain

Advanced models of phenomenology focusing on signal theory and the frequency domain.

- [Is consciousness holographic?](/posts/2025-07-31-is-consciousness-holographic.html): The case for holographic models of consciousness
- [The three marks of existence and the Fourier uncertainty principle](/posts/2025-10-10-the-three-marks.html): Connecting Buddhist phenomenology to the Fourier uncertainty principle (with Ethan Kuntz)
- [Here time turns into space: Does consciousness implement the fractional Fourier transform?](/posts/2025-10-17-fractional-fourier-transforms.html): A formal model of consciousness as a fractional Fourier transform (with Andrés Gómez Emilsson)

## The QRI psychophysics retreats

Reports from the Qualia Research Institute's psychophysics retreats in Brazil and Canada.

- [The first QRI psychophysics retreat: Ayahuasca](/posts/2023-10-07-the-first-qri-psychophysics-retreat.html): Ayahuasca retreat report from Ilha de Tinharé, Brazil
- [The second QRI psychophysics retreat: 5-MeO-DMT](/posts/2023-10-08-the-second-qri-psychophysics-retreat.html): 5-MeO-DMT retreat report from Kaslo, British Columbia
- [Cross-frequency coupling: Psychophysics results from the Brazil QRI retreat](/posts/2024-05-13-cross-frequency-coupling.html): Formal psychophysics results from the Brazil retreat

## Standalone posts

- [Planetary scale vibe collapse](/posts/2022-08-24-planetary-scale-vibe-collapse.html): The death of liminal consciousness as the origin of human suffering
- [An introduction to Susan Pockett](/posts/2023-06-01-an-introduction-to-susan-pockett.html): Susan Pockett's electromagnetic field theory of consciousness
- [Interface design in the age of qualiatech](/posts/2024-07-19-qualiatech.html): Speculative design for consciousness-aware technology
- [Hypercomputation without bothering the cactus people](/posts/2024-09-26-hypercomputation-without-bothering-the-cactus-people.html): Software development paradigms inspired by the DMT headspace
- [How to talk about UFOs without alienating your friends](/posts/2025-06-14-how-to-talk-about-ufos-without-alienating-your-friends.html): An epistemological framework for discussing anomalous phenomena

## Recent posts

- [On the phenomenological shift known as stream entry](/posts/2026-02-24-stream-entry.html): Stream entry and its implications for consciousness research
- [A conversation with Anima Labs, part I](/posts/2026-04-08-a-conversation-with-anima-labs-part-i.html): Phenomenology of digital minds (with Antra Tessera)
- [If digital computers are conscious, they are conscious at the hardware level](/posts/2026-05-09-digital-consciousness.html): Arguing that digital consciousness, if it exists, must be a hardware-level phenomenon

## Optional

- [An informal case for the wave computing hypothesis](/posts/2023-02-20-an-informal-case-for-the-wave-computing-hypothesis.html): Early informal argument for the wave computing hypothesis
- [Ghostbusting in the Gödelian prison](/posts/2022-09-03-ghostbusting-in-the-godelian-prison.html): On symbolic thought and its limitations
- [How to use DMT without going insane](/posts/2022-09-22-how-to-use-dmt-without-going-insane.html): Practical harm reduction advice for DMT use
- [smoothbrains.net: A three-year retrospective](/posts/2025-10-18-three-year-retrospective.html): Summary and reflection on three years of writing